A former senior Fujitsu engineer claims he was “trapped” into giving deceptive proof by the Submit Workplace through the prosecution of subpostmasters accused of theft and fraud.
He advised the most recent Submit Workplace scandal public inquiry listening to that what occurred in instances the place subpostmasters had been wrongly convicted, based mostly on the proof he gave as an knowledgeable witness for the Submit Workplace, was due to “how the Submit Workplace behaved”.
On the ultimate day of his proof, Gareth Jenkins, as soon as distinguished engineer at Fujitsu, stated his position in court docket instances was “to inform the reality and reply the questions he was requested”.
However throughout his questioning over the three earlier days inquiry, KC Jason Beer requested whether or not this was the entire fact, as a consequence of his give attention to slender questions on branches, ignoring the broader system.
Within the newest listening to, Flora Web page, barrister representing victims of the scandal, together with Seema Misra, former subpostmistress who was wrongly convicted partly based mostly on proof Jenkins gave, accused Jenkins of being a “Fujitsu firm man doing what the corporate needed you to do. Defend the ‘monster’ [Horizon]” created for the Submit Workplace by Fujitsu.
Jenkins stated he didn’t imagine Horizon to be a monster. Web page put it to him that his position within the Misra case was to offer Horizon a “clear invoice of well being”.
He stated: “My position was to inform the reality.” Web page requested if Jenkins tailor-made his proof accordingly. He disagreed and stated: “I tried to reply the questions I used to be requested.”
Jenkins stated he was sorry for what occurred to Misra, however added that he felt that was right down to the way in which the Submit Workplace behaved. “I clearly obtained trapped into doing issues I shouldn’t have finished,” Jenkins advised the inquiry.
Misra, who was pregnant on the time, was discovered responsible and sentenced to fifteen months in jail. Following Misra being discovered responsible by a jury, Jarnail Singh, former head of legal legislation on the Submit Workplace, stated: “By way of the laborious work of everybody, counsel Warwick Tatford, investigation officer Jon Longman and thru the appreciable experience of Gareth Jenkins of Fujitsu, we had been in a position to destroy to the legal commonplace of proof (past cheap doubt) each single suggestion made by the defence.”
Misra, who sat reverse Jenkins within the inquiry listening to, had her wrongful conviction overturned in 2021 on the Courtroom of Attraction after a protracted marketing campaign by subpostmasters to show that the Horizon system, and proof from it utilized in court docket, was unreliable.
Earlier this week, Jenkins agreed that he had developed a “sideline” supporting Submit Workplace prosecutions. He was used as an knowledgeable witness in 15 prosecutions of subpostmasters from the early 2000s till he was dropped on the recommendation of an exterior barrister for giving deceptive proof.
He stated the Submit Workplace’s prosecutions seemed to be chaotic and he felt beneath strain to offer proof to assist it.
Jenkins lately resigned as a member of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, after he was knowledgeable the skilled affiliation might examine his half within the widest miscarriage of justice in historical past.
Throughout a latest public inquiry listening to, Ian Henderson, director at forensic accountancy agency Second Sight, which revealed issues with the Horizon system, described Jenkins as useful throughout his investigation.
In an electronic mail to his enterprise companion, Ron Warmington, throughout Second Sight’s investigation of Horizon from 2012 to 2015, Henderson stated: “Gareth Jenkins has all the time struck me as, you already know, straight as a die.”
Beer KC requested Henderson: “What was it in your dealings with Mr Jenkins that struck you and allowed you to say that he was straight?”
“He was not being evasive. [Jenkins] was blissful to assist, he was answering my questions, he offered promptly with follow-up materials that I requested. I imply, there was no hesitation in his willingness to reply our questions and to supply help,” replied Henderson.
The Submit Workplace scandal was first uncovered by Pc Weekly in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters – together with Alan Bates – and the issues they suffered as a consequence of accounting software program. It’s one of many largest miscarriages of justice in British historical past (see under for timeline of Pc Weekly articles in regards to the scandal, since 2009).
• Additionally learn: What you could know in regards to the Horizon scandal •
• Additionally watch: ITV’s documentary – Mr Bates vs The Submit Workplace: The actual story •
